Gravitas Independence Special Issue, Call for Articles on Progress or Regress: Rethinking Liberation, Power and Transformation in Zimbabwe?

Progress or Regress: Rethinking Liberation, Power and Transformation in Zimbabwe?

On the 18^th of April 2017, Zimbabwe will be marking 37 years of independence and self-rule from British colonial rule and white-settlerism. From the onset of independence, Zimbabweans have been grappling almost endlessly with questions of ‘nation building’, ‘economic development’ and ‘democratisation’ or what Moore (2003) called the triple crisis of ‘nation-state formation, primitive accumulation and democratisation’. In the almost four decades of Zimbabwe’s independence there have been different generations contesting over; (I) questions of nation-state formation or what it means to become Zimbabwean; (ii) primitive accumulation- how wealth is created, developed and distributed in society and (iii) democratisation- more social groups winning power and the ability to solve conflicts in a civil manner. Zimbabweans have remained tenacious amidst the turmoil as they attempt to resolve the ‘unfinished business of independence’ (Hammer et al 2003) . The political landscape is now sharply contested; those within the the ruling elites are now locked in a battle for a beyond Mugabe period and public power is being deployed only to achieve political maneuvering ends; opposition political formations are stirring but almost paralysed with fragmentations and within civil society the entrance of ‘new’ social movements is exciting younger demographics.

In light of these contestations and what  has been called a descent from ‘liberation to authoritarianism’ (Dorman, 2015)  and  what has  been called a ‘re-configured political economy’ (Raftopoulos, 2013)  we are interested in critical assessments of Zimbabwe’s liberation project against contemporary lived realities. Gravitas therefore calls for opinion editorial pieces of between 1300-1500 words that seek to take stock of and reflect on Zimbabwe’s independence journey, including gazing into the future for possible trajectories.

 Articles may focus on, but not limited to the following:

• ·         The meaning of Politics and Ideology of Liberation
• ·         Assessing ‘comrades in power’: what has been the modes of rule in post-colonial Zimbabwe
• ·         Land, Economy and Development in Zimbabwe
• ·         Opposition, Civil Society and Political Contestations in contemporary Zimbabwe
• ·         Gender contestations and women empowerment
• ·         Migration, identity, citizenship and belonging in post-colonial Zimbabwe

Articles, subject to editing and reviewing, are to be emailed to the following addresses by 1300hrs, Wednesday 12^th of April 2017: gravitas@ipazim.com.